Michigan Football: Defensive Line Needs To Build Quality Depth

Although Michigan football is going to be fielding one of the best defensive line units in the country again this season, depth may become an issue.

There’s a reason why statistical models and experts alike are saying Michigan football‘s defense, despite losing all but one starter from last season, will still be one of the best in the country.

It’s the defensive line, which is going to be featuring some major star talent this season with end Rashan Gary and tackle Maurice Hurst. They’ll be joined by end Chase Winovich and tackle Bryan Mone. Together, those four are poised to continue the devastating work that recent Michigan defenses have put together.

Bill Connelly’s S&P+ model projects Michigan’s defense to rank No. 4 in the country, despite returning only 22 percent of last season’s production. Matt Brown of Sports on Earth ranks the Wolverines’ defensive line as the No. 24 position unit in college football. (“Yes, a D-line with zero returning starters.”)

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One thing that almost certainly won’t be the same as last season is the depth. Defensive coordinator Don Brown and line coach Greg Mattison had a tremendous luxury with the depth at their disposal in 2016. Players like Gary and Hurst were seamlessly plugged in without the defense missing a beat.

If that’s something that will continue to be done in 2017, the players who will make it happen have yet to be discovered.

Michigan’s large 30-player 2016 recruiting class originally featured eight defensive linemen. With Corey Malone-Hatcher announcing his retirement from football, that brings the class down to seven, which is still a good number.

In Gary’s case last season, he was a true freshman who was largely expected to be able to contribute right away—and he did. That confidence wasn’t artificial, and it can’t be applied in such abundance to those players now waiting at the No. 2 and 3 spots.

The closest thing Michigan has to a sure deal right now outside of the starting four might be freshman Aubrey Solomon, the five-star tackle whose journey to Ann Arbor was full of unexpected twists.

Sophomores Carlo Kemp and Ron Johnson could provide some padding on the ends, but they have only one game played between the two of them and no recorded tackles.

Of course, the possibility of a player emerging to have a high-quality season can’t be ignored. Honestly, it should be expected. But unless Michigan gets a few of those cases in 2017, the depth just won’t be the same.

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When the Wolverines are able to field their main four defensive linemen this coming season, the only thing distinguishing the unit from last season’s will be the numbers on the jerseys. But when other pieces need to be plugged in, it’s very possible that a depth issue becomes realized.

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